Author Interview: Marissa Meyer

I have been following Marissa Meyer since her fan fiction days as Alicia Blade and was ecstatic when Jenn told me that she had agreed to do an interview with us!  Marissa is the author of the Lunar Chronicles, a four book series of which the first, Cinder, is published.  See my review of Cinder here and Meghan's here.  I would like to take this time to thank Marissa for taking the time to talk to us!

1. Tell us about your car. 

Other than HOW MUCH I LOVE IT? I drive an orange 2010 VW Beetle. It's adorable. I developed an obsession with orange Beetles after writing Cinder (hint: that's the car she finds in the junkyard, although hers would have been an old model from the 1960s), but the particular burnt-orange color I wanted is really hard to find. When I was shopping for one, we discovered that there were only three for sale in the ENTIRE COUNTRY. So my husband and I flew down to L.A. to buy it and drove it back home. It's my one big eccentric-writer story.

Kristal: I have seen the pictures of this car, and I must say that it is awesome! Well worth the flight and drive :)

2. What books are you currently reading?
I'm just finishing THRONE OF GLASS by Sarah J. Maas (I'm a sucker for teen spy and assassin stories!). After that, I have an ARC of ABOVE WORLD by Jenn Reese sitting on my nightstand, and I recently downloaded an e-book about being a more productive writer. I'm hoping that might lead to some revelations in the near future.

3. You haven't kept it a secret that you wrote Sailor Moon fan fiction under the pen name of Alicia Blade. As Alicia Blade, you posted 38 stories and drabbles on FanFiction.net. Do you think you will ever return to Sailor Moon fan fiction?
I had such an amazing experience writing Sailor Moon fanfic and met so many awesome people in the community, many of whom are still so supportive and encouraging to this day. But no, I don't see myself ever returning to the world of fanfiction. Writing is my job now, and I want to continue to write books that reach a much wider audience than my fanfics ever could, not to mention books that I actually get paid for, haha.
Kristal: Although sad you won't be returning, it is even better to have your books in print in my bookshelf!

4. Have you considered revamping some of your fan fiction to turn it into a publishable novel (The House on Thornrose Lane: A Grimm Tale, for example)?
You are not the first person to ask! It's certainly crossed my mind, but I don't see it happening any time soon. While I'm still very proud of many of my fanfics (Thornrose Lane included), I feel like every story I write continues to be better than the last, and that I've moved on from the time in my life when those were the stories I needed to tell. Plus, I have so many ideas for novels in my head, that to return to a finished story would feel like moving backward.
Kristal: We look forward to all of the new novels you will write.  Although, I will admit I go back and read your fan fictions from time to time. I can't wait to read the rest of the Lunar Chronicles!

5. Cinder has some obvious Sailor Moon influences if you know the series well. Did you do this knowingly or did they slip in there out of habit?
I feel like I SHOULD have done it knowingly with how many people have pointed it out, but it was all habit and having been so inspired by Sailor Moon over the years. I'm so glad that Sailor Moon fans are getting enjoyment out of Cinder, though!
Kristal: I loved spotting the Sailor Moon references!  It seemed like a nice little tribute to the Sailor Moon community and made Cinder even more special to me.

6. How hard was the decision to forgo your pen name and publish Cinder under your own name?
Not really that hard. I was attached to the penname and worried that my fanbase wouldn't follow me into publication (which turned out to be an unnecessary concern), but it just seemed easier to use my real name. Plus, knowing that I'd be next to another Meyer on the shelf seemed like a good marketing decision.
Kristal: Yes, I can see how being listed by your last name would be a definite plus!  I am sure the cover didn't hurt either.

7. Cinder was a novel that you wrote during NaNoWriMo. Can you tell us what it was like writing the novel in under a month?
It was INSANE. As part of a ridiculous contest, I decided to try and write the first 3 books of The Lunar Chronicles in a month, and ended up writing 150,011 words in those 30 days. I look back now and cannot for the life of me figure out how I did it. Of course, there are lessons to be learned. While it was great to get the books "written" fast in order to keep up my momentum for the series, in the end, every one of them has been scrapped and re-written from page one. NaNoWriMo is great for learning how to prioritize your writing and to get involved in a community and to get your basic ideas down on paper, but it does not a finished novel make.
Kristal: I have participated in NaNoWriMo as well and have to agree, although it is fun to dedicate the whole month to writing (and having an excuse to act more crazy lol).

8. What was your favourite chapter (or part) of Cinder to write and why?
I loved writing the ball scene. Partly because it's such an iconic moment in the Cinderella story, but also because it's the culminating finale in CINDER - where secrets are revealed and emotions are running high and choices have to be made. It was exciting to throw Cinder and Kai into this very terrifying and public situation and see how they dealt with it.
Kristal: This has to be one of my favourite parts as well.  I love how the shoe from Cinderella was tied in, only in a uniquely cyborg way.  The emotions in that scene were amazing.

9. Can you tell us a little about your upcoming book?
SCARLET: Book Two of The Lunar Chronicles will be out on February 5, 2013, and it gives a new spin to Little Red Riding Hood. It continues to follow Cinder on her adventures, while also introducing readers to Scarlet, a girl who lives in southern France with her grandmother. Except her grandmother has mysteriously disappeared, and the only person willing to help Scarlet is a street fighter named Wolf, who has a few mysterious of his own.
Kristal: Who else can't wait?  February 5th can't get here fast enough!

10. Anything that you would like to say to your fans?
Only to thank them for being fans, and I sincerely hope you continue to read and enjoy The Lunar Chronicles!
Thanks so much for the interview!

Thanks again for taking the time to speak with us.  Cinder is a great read and I can't wait for the rest of the series to come out!  It has been awesome speaking with you.

Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Cinder
(The Lunar Chronicles #1)

Author: Marissa Meyer

Publication Date: January 3, 2012

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Genre: Fairy Tales/Dystopia

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Synopsis:

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, the ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .
Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

My Thoughts: Cinder is a re-telling of the classic fairy-tale Cinderella, only with a futuristic twist. Set in the future complete with hover cars, port screens and cyborgs Cinder takes Cinderella to a whole new level. A plaque is threatening the human race and cyborgs seem to be the only "people" who are immune. So, the government is looking for cyborg (*ahem) volunteers to help aid the research for a cure.

Cinder is who the cyborg who the story follows. Adopted by her step-mother's father at a young age (only to have him die soon after), Cinder is treated as a servant and second-class citizen by her step-mother despite her late husband's wishes. Instead of cleaning floors and feeding pigs, Cinder works as a mechanic at the local market. She seems to be able to fix anything. She is handy and tom-boyish and just refreshing. It is there where Prince Kai brings his old, beaten up android to be repaired.

With the threat of a global epidemic akin to the black plague, threats from the Lunarians (a race of evolved human beings who occupy the Moon) and Cinder trying to make her way in the world while the Prince of New Beijing attempts to woo her, Cinder is a Cinderella story like no other. Cinder proves that she is strong and kind throughout the story and does not wait for Prince Charming to sweep her off of her feet and save her; Cinder can save herself. Cinder is well worth the read!

Are Audiobooks more your thing? Well Cinder is available in audio format! Here is a preview of Chapter One for you to listen to now!

T.G.I.F. (3)

Thank Great Illustrators Fridays is a book meme created and hosted by Owl Read It.

They say don't judge a book by it's cover, but a lot of the time the cover is what draws you to the book in the first place.  This meme is to show appreciation to the artists who put their time and effort into creating the great book covers of our beloved series.

To Participate:

• Pick a book cover you love (any book will do - released or not)
• Post the picture of the book along with the author, publisher & the illustrator of the cover (if you can find it, if not, that's okay too!)
• Post a brief summary of why you like the cover.  
• Take the pic above and link back to us :)

This Week's T.G.I.F. Cover:

Let the Sky Fall by Shannon Messenger         
Published: Projected for March 5, 2013

Publisher: Simon Pulse
Illustrator(s): Can't find a name. If you know, please tell me :) And thank you, whoever you are!

My thoughts: This book is apparently about a set of star-crossed wind elementals. I LOVE how it looks like they are dancing in the sky. The golden coloring is gorgeous and I could pretty much see myself staring at it all day. The cover really drew me in, I have to say. I am excited for this book to be released.

What are your favourite book covers? Leave us a link to your own T.G.I.F! :)

Review: The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa

The Iron Daughter
(The Iron Fey #2)

Author: Julie Kagawa

Publication Date: July 27th, 2010

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Genre: Urban Fantasy

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Synopsis:

Half Summer faery princess, half human, Meghan has never fit in anywhere. Deserted by the Winter prince she thought loved her, she is prisoner to the Winter faery queen. As war looms between Summer and Winter, Meghan knows that the real danger comes from the Iron fey—ironbound faeries that only she and her absent prince have seen. But no one believes her.

Worse, Meghan's own fey powers have been cut off. She's stuck in Faery with only her wits for help. Trusting anyone would be foolish. Trusting a seeming traitor could be deadly. But even as she grows a backbone of iron, Meghan can't help but hear the whispers of longing in her all-too-human heart.

My Thoughts: Julie Kagawa really is a wonderful author. She just brings the world of the fey to a whole new level for me. I don't know why I waited so long to read this second installment of the series, but I'm glad I picked it back up.

In The Iron Daughter, we start off with Meghan being held by the Unseelie Court. She promised Ash she would go willingly, and she did. Nobody really knows what Mabs plans are with her, but when the Septer of Seasons is stolen from the Winter and one of thier Princes killed, Mab is furious. She decides it could only be Oberon who stole it and war follows. Meghan knows that it was really the Iron Fey who stole it. She just needs to convince Ash to help her get it back.

Alright, so there is one reason  that this book is only getting a 4 owl rating from me. The beginning. Meghan drove me completely mad. She was so stupid. Honestly. She whined and cried and even suffered from a broken heart because Ash was being so indifferent to her in the Unseelie Court. I have no idea what she was expecting, but apparently is must have been for him to claim his undying (forbidden) love for her in front of everyone. No, instead he did the right thing and acted like she was poop under his foot to keep her safe. Clearly, she doesn't understand this and was a complete whiner about it. Seriously, I was sitting there raging about how dumb she was to my friend at work. Clearly, I'm still a little upset about it. LUCKILY, she eventually realized that is was all an act and got back to being a pretty cool character again.

Aside from teenage girl stupidity, this book was pretty awesome. My favorite characters from The Iron King were back in it (Grimalkin!! He's so freaking awesome!) and I found a new favorite in Ironhorse. Seriously, almost EVERY single line he said cracked me up. Why? Because I always get this awesome image of a giant metal horse head just screaming everything. Even more funny when they are all whispering and he just starts screaming some more. So yeah, pretty much loved him!


As for Team Ash or Team Puck, I'm still firmly Team Ash!! Especially after the ending! I can't wait to start The Iron Queen after I finish up a couple of review books. So watch for that review next week!! If you're wondering if I would recommend this book or not, the answer is YES! Don't let some teen angst ruin the whole book for you, it really is only a little bit at the beginning (she was being such a drama queen..lol). Julie Kagawa MORE than made up for it with the rest of the book. So read it, you should probably even buy it because the covers for this series are freaking gorgeous and will look amazing on your shelf! They are definitely a purchase that I'm proud of!!

Review: Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck

Tiger's Curse

(Tiger's Curse Saga #1)

Author: Colleen Houck

Publication Date: January 1, 2011

Publisher: Sterling

Genre: Fantasy

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Synopsis:

Passion. Fate. Loyalty.
Would you risk it all to change your destiny?
The last thing Kelsey Hayes thought she’d be doing this summer was trying to break a 300-year-old Indian curse. With a mysterious white tiger named Ren. Halfway around the world. But that’s exactly what happened. Face-to-face with dark forces, spellbinding magic, and mystical worlds where nothing is what it seems, Kelsey risks everything to piece together an ancient prophecy that could break the curse forever.
Tiger’s Curse is the exciting first volume in an epic fantasy-romance that will leave you breathless and yearning for more.

My Thoughts: This is my second read-through of Tiger's Curse after finishing the series thus far.  It is a rare occurrence that I re-read a book but I thought this one deserved a second go and it didn't disappoint.

Kelsey Hayes takes a short-term summer temp position as an assistant to an animal keeper for a circus that is passing through town, she never imagined it would lead to her traipsing through the jungle in India with a white tiger named Ren. Funny how that works. With only a few words, Kelsey helped Ren and her adventure began.  We are shown a side of India that I thoroughly enjoyed. We get the towns, the jungle, temples and a mansion in the woods.  This book submerged me into their universe and made me almost believe I was in India myself.

Kelsey is on the border of adulthood.  Having just graduated from high school, she isn't sure what she wants to do with her life.  I admire Kelsey.  She takes the whole Indian curse thing in stride, but not unbelievably so.  She has a good head on her shoulders (although sometimes she tends to over-think things) and is so loyal it is almost dangerous.  This girl followed a tiger into the jungle because she was supposed to take care of him!  I am not sure sometimes if she is really brave or just stupid that way, but she is charming.

Ren is something else.  I don't want to say too much about him because I don't want to give any spoilers away.  But he is a sweet tiger that cares genuinely about Kelsey.

The whole Tiger's Curse series is worth a read.  If you enjoy adventure, love, mythology and a little bit of mystery these books will not disappoint.  They are on my bookshelf among all of my best-seller favorites and it is definitely where they belong.  If you haven't read it yet, don't put it off any longer.

Waiting on Wednesday (25)

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly awaiting.

Tiger's Destiny

by Colleen Houck

Expected Publication: September 4, 2012

With three of the goddess Durga's quests behind them, only one prophecy now stands in the way of Kelsey, Ren, and Kishan breaking the tiger's curse. But the trio's greatest challenge awaits them: A life-endangering pursuit in search of Durga's final gift, the Rope of Fire, on the Andaman Islands in the Bay of Bengal. 

It's a race against time--and the evil sorcerer Lokesh--in this eagerly anticipated fourth volume in the bestselling Tiger's Curse series, which pits good against evil, tests the bonds of love and loyalty, and finally reveals the tigers' true destinies once and for all.

***

Tiger's Curse is one of my favourite series of all time.  It is also one of the few that I truly believe does justice to the love-triangle - because I can't lean either way between Ren and Kishan.  If she ends up with either of them, I would be satisfied and disappointed all at the same time.  I am so excited for this finale that it is beyond words!

***

What are you "Waiting On"?

Teaser Tuesday (17)

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by  MizB at Should be Reading.

To Participate you:

-Grab your current read

-Open to a random page

-Share two 'teaser' sentences from somewhere on that page

-BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS

-Share the Title and Author, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR if the like your  teaser :)

This week's teaser comes from:

Florence by Ciye Cho

"They're beautiful," I whispered. Maybe a little dangerous too, I thought. But then again, the words beauty and danger seemed like  synonyms in Nimela."

This book comes out July 1st! It's a fun great read and I'm really enjoying it. My review will be posted on release day, so if you want to know more, come back then! :)

Review: Everneath by Brodi Ashton

Everneath
(Everneath #1)

Author: Brodi Ashton

Publication Date: January 24th, 2012

Publisher: HarperCollins / Balzer + Bray

Genre: Paranormal / Mythology

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Synopsis:

Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath, where immortals Feed on the emotions of despairing humans. Now she’s returned—to her old life, her family, her friends—before being banished back to the underworld... this time forever. She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can’t find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists. Nikki longs to spend these months reconnecting with her boyfriend, Jack, the one person she loves more than anything. But there’s a problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who first enticed her to the Everneath, has followed Nikki to the mortal world. And he’ll do whatever it takes to bring her back- this time as his queen. As Nikki’s time grows short and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she’s forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole’s...

My Thoughts: Everneath is Brodi Ashton's debut novel and it is awesome!! I love mythology!! This book is based off of the myth about Orpheus and Eurydice, with a little bit focused around Persephone and Hades. I'm definitely a new fan of Ashton and can't believe that I waited so long to read this one. It's just been sitting on my bookshelf for the last 3 months with me always saying "next" (there's a couple of those books!). Finally though, I picked it up to give it a read. It's a fairly easy read, and every time I would look up and see where my bookmark was and how much I had read, I was surprised. It's just one of those books that when I was reading, I would forget about everything else and just get lost in the book.

The protagonist is Nikki Beckett. We start off with when she is waking up in the Everneath after a century long Feed, so when the Everlings  drain all the emotion from a human, maintaining their immortality for another century. Time passes differently in the Everneath, so only 6 month have gone by on  the Surface. So of course, she comes back looking like a strung out junkie and everyone assumes she was just lost to drugs. She doesn't know how she survived and remembered her life before, but it has something to do with Jack, the boy she loved.

I think one of the things that Iliked the most was the style that Ashton wrote this book in. It's basically just a huge countdown for when Nikki will be sucked back in to the Everneath, into the awful world of the Tunnels, where the last of her energy will be spent powering the Everneath until she just fades away. There has to be a way for her to survive, but it's pretty much inevitable. We also got a lot of flashbacks so we could see her relationships with the other characters and what made her decide to become a Forfeit (so  she volenteered to have her life sucked out of her). I just kept reading because I needed to know what was going to happen to her. I do have to say though, the end was a bit predictable. There was a bit of forshadowing though.

Overall, I think this is a great debut novel for Brodi Ashton and I will definitely be looking out for more from her in the future. There is mythology, romance and a bit of suspense. It has a few creepy moments,  but it ends nicely. Actually it left with somewhat of a cliffhanger, so I need to know what happens next and will be eagerly awaiting the next book in the series, Everbound. Should you read it? Yes, you should, especially if you are a fan of mythology! I definitely reccomend this one. Have you read any good YA lately that has a mythology theme? What would you recommend?

Owl Post (7)

Owl Post is a weekly feature at Owl Read It where we let you know what new books we got that past week as well as recap what reviews we've posted the past week. It's inspired by The Story Siren's In My Mailbox meme.

Jenn's Haul:

No vlog this week, I only got two ebooks this week. 

For Review:

Flicker by Kaye Thornbrugh 

Thank  you Kaye for the review copy!

Free:

The Vincent Boys by Abbi Glines

Free from kobobooks.com

Meghan's Haul:

Nothing again for me this week. :(

Kristal's Haul:

I finally got my own copy of Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck!

I borrowed it from my public library months ago and fell in love with the entire series.  It ranks of my favourite series' of all time list, right up there with Harry Potter, Twilight, The Hunger Games and anything by Jane Austen.  I have been recommending it to everyone!

Review to come this week - it is well worth the second read-through (and many more!).

Reviews from this week:

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

Where She Went by Gayle Forman

Rapture by Lauren Kate

***

What did you get this week?

Bookmark Winners!

We recently had a giveaway for 3 bookmarks for J.R Wagner's new fantasy release, Exiled. I read and reviewed this book and thoroughly enjoyed it. I definitely recommend it! Anyway, on to the winners!
We have 3 lucky winners for this giveaway, and they are:

Jessie B @Jessie's Book Place

&

Natasha. D

&

Alicia. E

We're sending a big congratulations to these three lucky ladies! We hope you enjoy your winnings! Thanks to all who entered the giveaway. Don't forget to stop by our Midsummer's Eve Blog Hop for your chance to win a YA book of your choice valued at 15$!!

Book News On The Fly

So I normally don't do many post on book news, mostly because I don't have much time to do the posts, but today when I was catching up on facebook I just noticed so much awesome book related news. So I'm going to share what I was most excited to see this week.

First of all, there were a couple of AMAZING cover reveals. There were just so many gorgeous covers this week!!

 I just finished reading Everneath a few days ago and will be posting my review Monday, so out of all of the new covers, this one is probably my most anticipated because I need to know what happens next!!













 I haven't even started this series yet, but I've heard some pretty awesome things about it. So I'm pretty anxious to dig into the series. Regardless as to whether or not I like the series, this cover is gorgeous!!









 I recently bought the second book in this series and it is one gorgeous hardback. I'm going to need to get the first and start the series. I've actually been wanting to read it for a long time and am loving this cover. These covers are always pretty amazing!










 This is yet another series that I need to read, but I'm loving this cover as well. I like dark themed covers and the font is perfect for this theme!!









 This one wasn't announced this week, but I feel I had to include it because of the next two. Plus I freaking LOVE how amazing this cover is!! I'm going to have to buy a new copy!











 After the covers for Unravel Me and Destroy Me were revealed, it's easy to see why they changed the cover for Shatter Me, they are all amazing and I can't wait to read Unravel Me!!!!
 

So new covers weren't the only awesome news this week, there were also a few name announcements.
One of my favorite reads of 2012 had it's sequel's name announced. What book? Well Julie Kagawa's The Immortal Rules of course. Book two of the Blood of Eden series will be named: Eternity Cure. I'm so excited for this one because I LOOOVED The Immortal Rules. 

The other name announcement that I was really excited for was for the second book of Kiera Cass' The Selection. Which will be called The Elite. I still haven't gotten to read The Selection yet, but it's high up on my TBR.


So we got some new covers and some new names, we also got a LONG awaited trailer!!!! You know what I'm talking about! Breaking Dawn: Part Two!!!!

 Then there was one more trailer that has peaked my interest. The one for Anna Karenina. I read the book awhile ago and I think the movie looks like it could be good! Kiera Knightly and Jude Law? Going to have to check it out!!

 
That's all the book news that I have for you today, what was your favorite thing in the news this week? What are you most excited for? If I missed something you've been looking forward to, let me know. I've been working a lot lately so it's entirely possible!!

Review: Rapture by Lauren Kate

Rapture
(Fallen #4)

Author: Lauren Kate

Publication Date: June 12, 2012

Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Genre: Fantasy

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Synopsis:

The sky is dark with wings . . . .
Like sand in an hourglass, time is running out for Luce and Daniel. To stop Lucifer from erasing the past they must find the place where the angels fell to earth. Dark forces are after them, and Daniel doesn’t know if he can do this—live only to lose Luce again and again.
Yet together they will face an epic battle that will end with lifeless bodies . . . and angel dust. Great sacrifices are made. Hearts are destroyed. And suddenly Luce knows what must happen.
For she was meant to be with someone other than Daniel. The curse they’ve borne has always and only been about her—and the love she cast aside. The choice she makes now will be the only one that truly matters.
In the fight for Luce, who will win?
The astonishing conclusion to the FALLEN series. Heaven can’t wait any longer.

My Thoughts:   This one was, admittedly, a slow start for me.  It seemed like I couldn’t manage to get into the book at all, despite me enjoying the previous books in the series.  Perhaps it was because there was a tangible lack of romance.  The book seemed to pick up for me a little past half-way and then it took me no time to finish after that.

We start the fourth and final Fallen book exactly where the last one left off – with Daniel, Luce and all of their friends basically having nine days left until Armageddon.  They must complete a series of challenges in order to find the original fall site of the angels and save life as they know it.

With the idea of impending doom, I was excited to see what kind of strain that would put on Luce and Daniel’s relationship and was sorely disappointed.  They acted almost completely normal like it was just another deadline at work or something.  I feel like the tension could have been more drawn out.

But once we hit half-way, the book picked up in a major way.  We finally find out the truth about Luce and Daniel’s curse and we have more light shed on what happened before the angels fell.

Did I mention the major plot turn?  It was certainly interesting.  I have to admit, I suspected a part of it but some of it blew me out of the water.  The plot twist is what made the book for me and pulled me in.  So, if you are currently having a hard time getting through it, stick in there!

Overall, I think that Rapture was a good and bittersweet ending for the Fallen series.  There is a character in the end that I wish that I had more closure on, but I am satisfied with the ending of this good series.

T.G.I.F. (2)

Thank Great Illustrators Fridays is a book meme created and hosted by Owl Read It.

They say don't judge a book by it's cover, but a lot of the time the cover is what draws you to the book in the first place.  This meme is to show appreciation to the artists who put their time and effort into creating the great book covers of our beloved series.

To Participate:

• Pick a book cover you love (any book will do - released or not)
• Post the picture of the book along with the author, publisher AND the illustrator of the cover (if you can find it, if not, that's okay too!)
• Post a brief summary of why you like the cover.  
• Take the pic above and link back to us :)

This Week's T.G.I.F. Cover:

The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa                          

Published: Projected for October 23, 2012 by Harlequin Teen

Illustrator(s): Can't find a name.  If you know, please tell me :)

My thoughts: The covers for the Iron Fey series are all beautiful, and The Lost Prince in Series #2 of the Iron Fey is no exception.  Looks like Meghan Chase's little brother Ethan is all grown up and ready for his own adventures.  This cover is absolutely gorgeous and the illustrator deserves a round of applause.  His torso looks SO awesome!

In case you are following the Iron Fey, the first chapter of The Lost Prince can be found here.

What are your favourite book covers? Leave us a link to your own T.G.I.F! :)

Review: Where She Went by Gayle Forman

Where She Went
(If I Stay #2)

Author: Gayle Forman

Publication Date: November 4th, 2010

Publisher: Dutton Juvenile

Genre: Realistic Fiction / Contemporary

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Synopsis:

It's been three years since the devastating accident . . . three years since Mia walked out of Adam's life forever.

Now living on opposite coasts, Mia is Juilliard's rising star and Adam is LA tabloid fodder, thanks to his new rock star status and celebrity girlfriend. When Adam gets stuck in New York by himself, chance brings the couple together again, for one last night. As they explore the city that has become Mia's home, Adam and Mia revisit the past and open their hearts to the future-and each other.

My Thoughts: Where She Went takes place three years after Mia's accident and answers the question everyone has been wondering, "what happened next?". Well I know I was wondering at least. Once again Gayle Forman wrote a wonderful and heartfelt story. This time though we aren't following Mia around, but Adam. Poor, poor Adam whose life has never been the same since that devastating day. Although not as much of a tear jerker, there were still some tears streaming down my face (maybe I'm just super emotional, eh?) and it was another that was difficult to put down.

So in the three years, Adam's band has become super famous and you would think that he would be super happy. Nope, he is totally miserable. Why? When Mia went to Julliard, she just dropped him. She stopped calling and never went back to Oregon, not even to visit her grandparents. So Adam begins to fall into this depression and his life is pretty bad for awhile, until Shooting Star makes it big. But then, he can't handle the pressure of being famous and is constantly having anxiety attacks. He's not happy because something is missing. That thing is Mia. He never got to say goodbye, never got a reason why. She just left. So on his last night in New York, he goes to Carnegie Hall to listen to Mia play. She learns he's there and asks someone to bring him back to her dressing room. Can he face her after all these years? Will she tell him why? Will one night change everything for them both?

I really enjoyed how this book followed around Adam this time. Considering he is the one who was left  in terrible shape after everything happened, even three years later.  Gayle Forman does well with writing from a male's PoV, sometimes it doesn't seem as good when female authors write a male PoV and vice versa, but she does it really well. Once again she has written beautifully and makes you really connect with  the characters. I will definitely be looking out for more by her. 

Overall I really enjoyed Where She Went. Not as much as If I Stay, but still really enjoyed it. I'm so glad that I had both books so that I could pick up this one immediately after finishing the first because I really needed to find out what happened after Mia woke up. I definitely recommend this book to everyone, as it is an amazing story and so heartfelt. It's a great short read for a rainy day and will most likely be one I read again. Have you read this series? What did you think? Did you like the ending? (without giving any spoilers please :) ) I sure did!!